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Dear Friends,
Last November, Michiganders voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights in our state constitution. Now we must act to ensure that people can access the reproductive health care they need without delay, without paying high costs out of pocket, and without fear of prosecution for experiencing a miscarriage or a stillbirth.
Earlier this week, I met with women and medical professionals to talk about the Reproductive Health Act, a package of legislation to protect healthcare professionals, improve outcomes, lower costs, and reduce medically-unnecessary, burdensome regulations on accessing care. This includes: removing TRAP laws, which impose medically unnecessary regulations on abortion providers that often force patients to travel hundreds of miles for care; lifting the ban on private insurance coverage for abortion care; and repealing laws that require patients to receive biased, medically inaccurate information.
Let’s work together to get this done.
- In November 2022, 56.65% of Michiganders voted for Proposal 3, protecting abortion rights in our state constitution.
- In a May 2023 poll, 55% of women ages 18-49 say they or someone they know has made a decision due to worries about accessing abortion.
- In the same poll, 65% of adults are concerned bans on abortion would make it difficult for doctors to safely treat patients, leading to complications.
- 71% of Michiganders support preventing criminal punishment for miscarriages and stillbirths.
- 68% of Michiganders say abortion is a decision that should be left to a woman and her doctor.
- 61% of Michiganders support removing medically unnecessary rules that shut down clinics.
- 61% of Michiganders support allowing private insurance companies to include coverage for all pregnancy-related health care, including abortion.
- 58% of Michiganders support allowing advanced practice clinicians who are properly trained to provide abortion care.
- 54% of Michiganders support allowing Medicaid to cover all pregnancy-related health care, including abortion.
- 53% of Michiganders support repealing laws that force patients seeking abortion care to delay their care and receive biased, medically inaccurate information.
I will keep using every tool in my toolbox to support, protect, and affirm reproductive freedom in Michigan, and I’ll keep fighting to make our state a welcoming place where anyone can envision a future.
Together, we can build a healthier Michigan.
Sincerely,
 Gretchen Whitmer
Governor
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